Brothers, Did and Dead
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: In that one moment, both brothers were dead.


**A/N: **Alright, time to finish off some of the oneshots that have been sitting on my hard-drive since some time last semester.

Written for the 5,10,20,50,70,100 fandoms challenge, fandom 4.

* * *

**Brothers, Did and Dead**

_120…_

Envy's speared arm ripped through air so fast that the words of warning had barely reached his soul's metaphorical mouth when their sentiment became utterly useless.

Alphose had been simply bound at the wrong angle. He could only see his brother's back as he pinned the homunculus down by his knees and clobbered the treacherous form with both fists. He hadn't seen the malleable face melting, changing and reforming to dig up a new memory of the past – through he could guess, by his brother's infuriated shouts, that their mother and Colonel Mustang had found their place in the charade.

That was all he could do. Guess. Guess whether Envy had finally shed the disguise as bid of him of if he was playing another trick. Guess whether Dante's story was true or false. Guess that the sudden rigidness of his brother's form meant the other knew something more, something he'd never had the chance to say.

And to guess – or hope rather – that Edward would bounce back from a spear being thrust into his chest, just as he had bounced back from every other trial that had plagued them.

But the snapshot of time that froze the pierced form said otherwise.

_119…_

_118…_

* * *

_116…_

A slight gasp of surprise escaped Edward's lips, and then Envy yanked his arm away with a squelch that accompanied the types of a car stuck in the mud coming free. The body tumbled to the floow like a limp rag doll, and from there Alphonse was finally able to see his brother's face.

_112…_

_111…_

His eyes were blank, just like their mother's before limp eyelids had slipped over them in a tone that spoke finality. Gold; they were still gold, but murky and dull as though someone had mixed the bright hue with mud water to prevent others from enjoying the same. They no longer jumped out from the pallid face, burning holes through any shield or wall and shooting arrows of hope and change further than the naked eye could travel.

_107…_

_106.._

'He's…dead?'

The Gate had taken him so fast. The colour was draining from his face faster than the blood from his body.

_105…_

'Yes, he's dead.'

Alphonse tuned Engy out. Edward was all that mattered. Edward, whose heart was broke n and whose brain would soon fail, who would soon be apart from him forever.

_103…_

'Brother.'

_100…_

_99…_

The whisper was pathetically quiet even from his own metaphysical ears, and it was no wonder that no answer came.

_87…_

_86…_

He strained. He had to reach his brother. And all the while, time fled from his fingertips.

_75…_

_74…_

* * *

_31…_

_30…_

Dante was surprised, but not particularly worried as the armour that held both the soul of Alphonse Elric and the Philosopher's Stone broke free from her alchemic binds and stumbled towards his brother. Large metal hands lifted the still form up tenderly, one hand supporting the head while the other gently stroked the white face. It was sweet. Sickeningly so, but she did no more than frown. There was, after all, nothing Alphonse could try short of Human Transmutation.

_28…_

_27…_

_26…_

But Alphonse wasn't thinking about that. His thoughts were on his brother, on the vacant eyes and the colour that had all but fled. On the pool of blood spreading beneath, staining the blue metal and seeping through the artificial joints.

_14…_

_13…_

Of the possibility, however slim, of bringing him back.

_11…_

_10…_

Of a possibility vanishing by the second.

_8…_

_7…_

He brought his hands apart. Steadied them.

_5…_

_4…_

Dante saw. Yelled at him to stop. He didn't hear. She stepped forward.

_2…_

_1…_

_Clap._

_0._

Too late, and in that one moment, both brothers were dead.

* * *

_1…_

_2…_

Someone was screaming.

_3…_

_4…_

_5…_

A child. It sounded like a child.

Rose's child.

_6…_

_7…_

_8…_

_9…_

And moist. Something moist.

_10…_

_12…_

_14…_

Edward cracked his eyes open, taking in the blurry ceiling, the worried voice that looked upon him, the emptiness that surrounded them.

'You died.' Rose was crying, salty water splashing on his cheeks as she knelt above him. 'You died, but –'

'Al –' He said hoarsely. 'Where's – Al?'

_18…_

_20…_


End file.
